The Road To A Friend's House Is Never Long.

Christine's Street in CT.

The summer is flying by and I have been happily wallowing in my art and creating new work for the upcoming fall show season.

Last week, I left the county line and travelled to the opposite side of the country to see two of my very dear friends, Christine Phelps and Anna Sprague. It was a trip planned and discussed for some months, coordinated with each pal so I could visit both of them like stepping stones, one after the other. The trip went without a hitch.

My first visit with Christine (whom I had never met in 3-D) was an intense and joyful time of creating lots of mixed media art, including spun cotton ornaments, paintings on wood blocks, and another painting inspired from one of my ceramic plates.  We both worked feverishly in Christine’s basement studio in Connecticut. The temperature was cool down there and we were often visited by Christine’s family members, including feline friends. Her studio was crammed full of treasures galore, which Christine generously offered me a free-for-all!  I learned many new techniques from the master herself, Christine, which lives up to her mantra “Art Makes Life Magic.”

Christine working on a painting.

Christine in Northampton on an outing.

Sharon's painting.

Spun Cotton Kitty ornament (with help from Christine:)

Kite Bird painting by Sharon.

It was bittersweet to leave Connecticut, but I carried all of the moments we shared together and sent a box homeward of all of the wonderful art we shared together. I boarded the plane and began to feel the excitement rise in me as I headed toward Rochester to see Anna.

I have not seen Anna in about a decade. We met at a workshop in Oregon some years ago. We became instant friends and laughed our time away. I feel so fortunate to have Anna as a friend. She is wise and a very gifted metalsmith and jeweler. As I stood outside of the airport, I saw her smiling face as she drove up to the curb. It was like no time had lapsed and we chatted and laughed as before.

Anna cutting copper discs for enameling.

Disc cutting tools.

Anna also has a basement studio. It was very organized and that made it so easy to work with metals and enamels. We cut out copper and did some etching as well as enameling on copper.

Anna is a great and patient teacher. I was kind of rusty with the techniques not

practiced for many a year. In the end I was elated at what we had made. Anna’s enamels were stunning and multi-layered with colors. Mine were more graphic and bold.

Sharon's enamel pieces in progress.

Completed painted and enameled pieces.

Anna took me around the Rochester area, a close proximity from her home. I saw mansions and a lot of bricks. We even went to a crazy craft store!

Dan's Crafts & Things, NY

Home now, I continue to savor the memories of the recent days and feel so fortunate to have these women in my life. Thank you Anna and Christine for a wonderful experience and sharing your artistry and most of all your friendship across the miles.